Lengths of bend will be supplied as near to requested size as possible. It must be remembered that stainless steel does not bend as tightly as galvanised material, so not all requested bends are attainable.

Spokes supplied are replacements not replicas. Some spokes may vary in length of bend or angle from original. When assembled and tensioned these spokes will bed and sit correctly in the hub.

IMPORTANT: For your safety ...

Check spoke nipples supplied to ensure that they are the correct size for the spokes when fitted and will hold tensions.

Check nipple holes in the rim to ensure that the nipples supplied have suitable clearance.

Check hub and rim for damage before assembling the wheel.

Ensure when assembling the wheel that the spokes are tensioned correctly to the manufacturer’s specification. Ensure regular checks of the tension in the wheels to avoid spoke breakage.

Central Wheel Components manufacture
its own brand of C.W.C. Spokes and Nipples. These are available in
various materials and gauges and can be supplied in any quantity
from 28 for one off wheels to 100,000+ for original equipment or
replacement wheel suppliers.

Which size ?

Over the years we've amassed a good knowledge of which spokes fit which bikes. Even so,
it is always advisable to provide a sample spoke with your order and to supply details
on the length, gauge, angle and length of bend of spokes required (see diagram
below).

When ordering butted or double butted spokes both gauges should be given. For
example, if the spoke tapers from 8 to 10 gauge, write it as 8/10g.

Sizing spokes is quite easy if you follow this chart :

Spoke Gauges are as follows:

12

=

2.60mm

(.104” dia)

10

=

3.20mm

(.124” dia)

9

=

3.60mm

(.142” dia)

8

=

4.00mm

(.156” dia)

7

=

4.45mm

(.171” dia)

6

=

4.87mm

(.192” dia)

5

=

5.15mm

(.203” dia)

4

=

5.70mm

(.224” dia)

Metric gauge sizes available on bulk orders - 3.00mm, 3.50mm, 4.50mm

Single Gauge Spoke

Single Butted Spoke

Double Butted Spoke

Spoke nipples can be supplied in zinc plated steel for galvanised spokes or nickel plated brass for stainless steel spokes in the following barrel
sizes (Not all barrel sizes are available for each gauge size):

Nipple sizes are as follows:

5.75mm

(0.225")

6.40mm

(0.250")

7.00mm

(0.275")

8.00mm

(0.300")

9.00mm

(0.350")

The spokes currently available are:

Galvanised has long been the traditional
material for spokes, but today stainless steel is far more popular and gives a
better, longer lasting finish.

Be aware that similar materials can seize together over time, so if you would like advice on materials
do please ask.
It should be remembered that stainless steel will not bend to the same degree as galvanised steel.

Providing the essential link between hub and rim.

The primary role of spokes is to give strength to the wheel, but the criss-cross effect of
gleaming metal also looks visually pleasing.

The material and finish chosen for a specific job will depend on several factors - the type of
bike, its age and your personal preferences. The information below will help you
decide.

Spokes vary
greatly in length and diameter, some wheels featuring butted spokes. These
aren't a uniform thickness but taper down from one diameter to another and in
rare cases you'll find double butted spokes, which are thicker at each end for
greater strength.

Our spoke sets for a one-off wheel comprise 40 spokes with nipples, though obviously we're
happy to supply any number of spokes, whether it's 10 or 100,000.

Manufacturing spokes

All our spokes
are manufactured from the highest grade Stainless Steel or mid carbon
galvanised steel, which ensures the optimum combination of strength and
performance.

The spoke
material arrives in 500 kg coils of wire and is fed into a spoke machine that
straightens the wire before cutting it to length. It then forms the head before
forming the bend and rolling the thread as it ejects the 'spoke' from the
machine.

Stocks of blank
spokes (headed but not threaded or bent) are made and held in stock ready to be
bent and cut down for our smaller orders or spoke sets.

Butted spokes are
made from wire which is the thickness of the butted end but are intentionally
cut short. The spokes are then hammered out to length, reducing the diameter of
all except the butted end.

The final part of the process is to clean and polish the spokes. Large vibrating metal bowls full
of polishing compound and ceramic pellets clean the spokes through abrasive
action. Similar vibrating bowls containing maize apply the final polish.